Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-20
LABOR DIFFERENCES.
A STRIKE INAUGURATgD AT THg WHEEL
LING POTTERY, MONDAY.
Both Sids Of he Katsr-JOssph Bell & %. Make
aShtsmens NO Trouble at ihs
Sar Foundry.
!. Last evenings Ne,rsLetter contained the

Last evenings NelrsLetter contained the
following article.
''The ware pressers at the Wheeling pot
terry, thirty in number, quit work yestsr-
day morning and formally inaugurated a
strike against proposed and apparently
unjust reduction of their wages by the
management of that company. A delega-
ton of the men called at the Nelcs-Letter
Office this afternoon and gave the following
account of the trouble:
THE Wheeling pottery, they said, has
always heretofore adopted the scale OF
wages paid at the union pOtteries of Tren-
ton, n. j., on all kinds Of ware. About
two weeks ago Manager Pearson sent to
Trenton for Otto Lucas, q presser who for
merly worked here, and on his arrival set
him to work on new square style OF ware.
He allowed him to work till Friday night
last, at which time he handed in his ae-
count. The manager then informed Lucas
that he did not propose to pay the Trenton
scale of wages on this new ware, and would
not 90 one cent over the rate paid at the
'scab' pOtteries of East Liverpool.
This meant reduction, individually,
to the pressers engaged in this work, OF one
dollar per day. The ware had not
been fully introduced, only two or three OF
the men having been placed upon 1t. The
force daily employed upon this new ware,
when il is fairly introduced, will number
about eight. The company, at the East
Liverpool scale of prices, would gain about
eight dollars per day of the just wages OF
their employees.
1.-The pressers held an indignation meet
ing Saturday night, at which they decided
TO demand the Trenton prices on the same
ware or strike. Yesterday morning they
called at the office Ofthe company and made
known their demand to the manager.
After a few minutes cOnfab the officials
fatty refused to pay Trenton prices and the
men refused to 20 to work.
1.-The pressers are the mainstay Of the
pottery, and though the plant has been run
ming since, it will be Obliged to close down
entirely in day or So"
A REGISTER reporter called on Manager
Pearson last evening, and alter he had
read the article he said:
"In the first place we have always been
running our pottery on the same scale OF
prices and upon the same basis rs
the pOtteries in East Liverpool, OF
which the Wheeling pottery.is sort OF an
offspring. They are the ones we come in
competition with and not the Trenton pot
teries. There is at least double as much
white granite ware manufactured in East
LIVERPOOL rs there is in Trenton. The
new shape mentioned iscalled the 'Rolla"
by us, and il the most simple in square
sSapes made, being even simpler than that
made at East Liverpool. When | was in
Trenton some time since Otto Lucas
met me on the street and asked
me for the first vacant position
we had and promised would remember
him. Our foreman told me recently that
Lucas had written him Of my promise and
| told him to send for Lucas il he had a
situation open. He did this and shortly
after his arrival Mr.. Lucas was put on the
new shape, unthinkingly, but had an
ticipated any trouble | should not have
had him put to work upon it. | had had
correspondence with the President oil the
co-operative pottery, of East Liverpool,
which is an outgroWth of the Knights OF
Labor, and ascertained their prices for this
certain make of ware. When Mr.. Lucas
was handed his pay on Friday he asked If
that WA the price TO be paid and inform
ell him il was. There was not much more
said about the matter until the men went
out. No committee waited upon me at
all.
''YOu see we are in direct competition
with the East Liverpool pOtteries and not
with those of Trenton. We cannot 20
four hundred and fifty miles away to Sc
cure basis for wages when we have a
place so near. The price we offer is the
same as paid by both the East Liverpool
co operative pottery and the Standard CO.
operative pottery o. the same place, when
are dubbed 'scab' establishments BIZ the
ye,rs-L Letter. We will not pay a cent more
than they for the ware, and that Is a set
tied fact